Tag Archives: Security

The Security Camera Birdfeeder lets you be nice to birds and have something hanging outside your home to deter criminals and hoodlums from attempting to do something that they shouldn’t. Granted, it obviously doesn’t look real during the day, but only the foolish (or the most foolishly daring) would choose to attempt a break-in in broad daylight.

The birdfeeder is ready to hang and can hold up to 2 cups of seed for your avian buddies.… Continue Reading

Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all your stuff when you’re at the beach, with so many distractions and all. It’s easy pickings for anyone with unscrupulous intentions if you just lay your stuff by your towel or umbrella while you get a tan, read a book or heck, even go for a swim. What you need is the TanSafe. While it’s not 100% fool proof, this stash box disguised as a bottle of suntan lotion might help you keep your stuff more secure.

It’s pretty obscure and people won’t really think twice about it because who doesn’t have suntan when they’re at the beach, right? It has a watertight seal so the stuff inside stays dry, and it’s spacious enough to hold your cash, cards, keys, and even your phone.

Cameras and facial recognition systems are everywhere, even in places where you least expect them. Some people are all for it for the sake of security, while others feel like it’s an invasion of their privacy. If you agree with the latter, never going out–and hence, never showing your face in public again–isn’t a viable option. So instead you’re stuck with alternatives like Urme Surveillance’s identity prosthetic mask that literally lets you wear someone else’s face. Unfortunately, it does make you look a bit creepy in the process.

Other options include a paper mask (which are beyond obvious, but they will still hide your face from cameras) and the video facial encryptor, which covers your face with another one when you’re streaming video or when you’re making a video call.

Writing down passwords to folders filled with confidential files or stuff that you’d want to keep a secret is a bad idea. But at the same, most people feel like they have no choice because memorizing passwords for hundreds different folders is no easy task. Cue the Crypto Stick, which is essentially the next-generation flash drives that come with added security.

The device is currently being beta tested. It takes security to a higher level, with decryption being done on the device itself. Hidden volumes are also accepted. To access your data, you’ll have to key in a pin and you’ll be able to access the files within.

The beta version of the Crypto Stick is available online for about $205.

Lots of homeowners own alarm systems, but it’s more rare to see them in rented apartments; who, after all, is going to go through the trouble of wiring an entire system on a property that doesn’t belong to them? That doesn’t mean your stuff is any less valuable or your dwelling less prone to burglary, so we’re happy to see a product like Korner. It’s a cheap and super simple alarm system that anyone can install in a couple of minutes. It consists of small motion-detecting tags that attach to the corner of your windows, and a wireless dongle that you plug into the ethernet port on your router. If one of the tags detects movement that it associates with the window being opened, it’ll send a signal to the dongle, which will then notify you on your smartphone. You can then either call the police, or contact a neighbour to check in on your place. While that’s all happening, the key fob will emit a high-pitched audio alarm to deter the intruder from sticking around, stealing your belongings.

You can pair up to 15 corner tags, and an $89 pledge will get you a set with three of these, and one fob. Each tag is easily removable and reusable, making it dead simple to move and take the system with you.

Security cameras come in different shapes and sizes. Some are extremely small, such as the ones installed in clocks and fixtures, for example. Others are large but still discrete, like this motorcycle security camera by Japan Security System Co. As the name implies, it’s a security camera in the shape of a motorcycle. Despite being much larger than your typical security camera, it relies on just that to keep a low profile.

They’re meant to be installed at the entrances of hotels and other establishments where it would be uncommon to find a motorcycle there. Instead of head and tail lights, it has off-the-shelf video cameras installed instead. Two side-facing cameras are also installed on the seat.… Continue Reading

Do you have stuff that you don’t want anyone else to see? Whether it’s your diary or a secret video or an engagement ring, no place is ever safe enough–especially when you know other people might snoop while you’re snoozing. A worthy alternative to getting a safe? The Privacy Pillow.

It’s an uber-comfortable pillow that has a secret compartment on the inside that can fit an assortment of stuff. Stash whatever you want into the leather compartment, close the clasp, and sleep on it. Just make sure not to let anyone else sleep on your pillow, else they might poke around and notice that there’s more to it than just cotton and down.

Boeing has a top-secret phone in the works, and unfortunately it’s going to stay top-secret until its completion because it’s only going to be sold to government agencies. Dubbed as “Black,” it’s a smartphone that has a self-destruct feature when it’s tampered with, so the secrets and data it holds will remain a secret forever.

Boeing’s Bruce Olcott explains that the phone “will be sold primarily to government agencies and companies engaged in contractual activities with those agencies that are related to defense and homeland security. The device will be marketed and sold in a manner such that low-level technical and operational information about the product will not be provided to the general public.”

The phone will reportedly come with dual SIM card slots, a removable battery, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. The phone will be able to operate on the GSM, WCDMA and LTE networks.

How safe are you in your hotel room? There’s nothing to worry about if you’re booked in a five-star hotel but if you’re on a tight budget and went for the inn with the cheapest rates in the area, then you might find that to be a major concern come nightfall. That’s what happened to me when I traveled with a few friends last year to attend a concert. Halfway through the night, we heard loud banging in outside the halls in the dead of night, and one of my friends swore she heard someone try to open the door.

Suffice to say, we checked out the next morning and paid double for a fancier (and much safer) hotel. If you find yourself traveling to places that aren’t as safe or secure as you’d like, then it’s high time you got something like the portable door jammer as an added safety measure. It works with most doors and setting it up is pretty simple. Just slide it at the bottom of the door and crank out the arm until it’s secure and snug against the floor surface.

People on the outside will be able to see the jammer’s little arm, so maybe that’ll serve as a deterrent of sorts since they’ll have a more difficult time trying to sneak in or force their way into your room.

OhGizmo! is a frequently updated blog that focuses on covering items that will appeal to a very specific and often very passionate audience: the geek. Aside from the fare of innovative consumer electronic products, the reader can expect to find news about geek culture, absurd inventions, awe inspiring technology, and an ever growing assortment of articles that we like to think fit within our view of what we’re calling the Geek Lifestyle.